Rare ! Greenland Shark Tooth Somniosus microcephalus Dogfishes Cartilaginous Fishes Chondrichthyes Selachians Elasmobranchs Squaliformes Somniosidae.
Measures: diagonal mm 11, height mm 10, base root width mm 9, only a piece, as in photos (double-sided).
Known also as Eqalussuaq (Inuit name).
Also available Shark Teeth Necklaces, single or in lots, at this link.
The Greenland Shark (Somniosus microcephalus; Eqalussuaq, as they call it the Inuit) is a large shark originating from the waters facing the coasts of Greenland and Iceland, in the North Atlantic. It goes further north than any other species of shark. It is one of the largest species of shark and its dimensions are comparable only to those of the white shark: the largest specimens can reach even 7 meters. Together with the Pacific Lemargo with which it is related, it is the largest species in the Somniosidae family. It also lives much longer than other sharks.
It feeds mainly on fish, but can also capture marine mammals such as seals. Remains of polar bears and reindeer have also been found in the stomachs of some specimens. The shark itself is colonized by copepods parasites that, while attacking the cornea, allow the shark to attract prey thanks to their bioluminescence. Using a technique of radiocarbon dating of the crystalline lens of some specimens captured in Greenland and correlating it to the rate of growth of the species was estimated, for the older specimen, an age of 392 years (with a discard of 120 years or more less).
The meat of the Greenland shark is poisonous, due to the presence in it of a toxin, the trimethylamine oxide, which, if digested, splits into trimethylamine, a substance that provokes effects equal to those of a great hangover. Because of this neurotoxin, sled dogs that have fed on the flesh of this shark are no longer able to stand up. However, if it is boiled by often changing the water or if it is dried and fermented for a few months it can be consumed. Traditionally this is achieved by burying the shark in boreal soils and leaving it exposed to various cycles of freezing and thawing. What comes out is considered a delicacy in Iceland and Greenland.
The Greenland shark is not considered dangerous to humans, but some Inuit legends speak of sharks attacking kayaks.
Its poisonous meats, with a high urea content, are the basis of the legend of Skalugsuak, the first shark of Greenland. According to this legend, an old woman washed her hair with her own urine and dried them with a rag. From this rag, thrown into the ocean, Skalugsuak originated.
Another legend is that of Sedna, a girl whose father cut his fingers while he was drowning. It is said that each cut finger gave rise to a creature of the sea, including the Greenland shark.
Since 2001, the Research and Education Group on Shark of Greenland and other Elasmobranchi (GEERG), led by some Canadian researchers, is studying the Greenland shark in the waters of the Saguenay fjord and the San Lorenzo estuary. The presence of this species in the area (evidenced by catches or stretches) has been repeatedly documented since 1888. The research undertaken by GEERG involves the study of the behavior of the shark thanks to the use of both scuba divers with cameras and acoustic signaling equipment. and satellite positioned on the sharks themselves; despite all the studies carried out, however, this giant of the sea is still almost unknown.
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